This invention relates to an apparatus for accumulating, distributing, and directly loading cookies into trays, which trays can be used as packages for the cookies.
This invention may also be adapted for use as an automatic direct loading device for any generally disc-like objects or articles such as tuna cans, poker chips, hockey pucks, sandwich cookies, soft cookies having multiple textures, pet biscuits, and the like.
It is well-known to use conveyor belts for conveying biscuits from an oven. It is also conventional to transport biscuits, including cookies, from one conveyor belt to another. It is also known to package cookies in cartons so that the cookies are arranged in stacks filling partitions in the cartons. There are several prior art patents relating to automatic loading apparatus, which are discussed hereunder.
The Egee et al reference, U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,761, is the most relevant known reference, and in FIG. 5 shows cookies being deposited directly from a conveyor belt into a stack. The stack is supported on a blade-like gate 52 which is rotatably supported and revolved upon a signal by a gate actuating means 54, to drop a stack of cookies 36 into a pocket of a tray 56. Such a tray 56 is also shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings in side sectional view. While this apparatus is significantly different from the apparatus of the present invention, there is a similarity in the result, namely that cookies are ultimately stacked into trays automatically. However, the apparatus of the Egee patent would not be suitable for relatively soft cookies, which are very susceptible to breaking, nor for relatively high speed operation. Furthermore, the manner in which the cookies are stacked in Egee results in trays being filled so that they are not stacked on their edges in a tray, but rather lie on their bottom surfaces in the tray. The cookies are, in other words, resultingly stacked parallel to the bottom of a tray rather than perpendicularly to the bottom of a tray as in the present invention. Furthermore, there is no showing of a flexible support, nor of moving of the conveyor belt exit end upward or downward to accommodate the stacking of the cookies. FIG. 1 of the Egee patent shows cookies lying on edge being transferred to a conveyor belt where they may lie on their bottom surfaces for feeding to the apparatus shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, while the Egee patent addresses a similar problem in the art, that of stacking cookies, there is no teaching or suggestion of a movable conveyor belt where an end of the conveyor belt moves up or down, or toward or away from a tray, to selectively distribute cookies vertically, the cookies being received against a relatively resilient tray wall. Furthermore, there is no teaching or suggestion of providing that each cookie directly impacts a resilient wall of a tray during the loading operation.
The Rose et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,885 relates to a method and apparatus for counting and loading cookies. Here, a relatively complex apparatus eventually places cookies into a stack as shown in FIG. 11. Also, cookies are shown in FIGS. 13-15 as falling along a chute where they collide with drop rails 56 and 58. This feature alone renders it unsuitable with use for relatively soft cookies since it would damage them. Furthermore, there is no teaching or suggestion of use of a movable conveyor belt, which conveyor belt is relatively movable to a tray having at least a flexible wall portion for receiving cookies which collide with such wall, the conveyor belt being movable relative to the tray being loaded, the tray being supported such that no hard or rigid surface directly underlies those portions of the tray which collide with the cookies.
The Rose patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,462, shows an accumulator and stacker for sandwich biscuits and the like. Here, a relatively complex apparatus stacks sandwich cookies one atop the other. This is shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 7-11. While the net result is cookies being stacked two-by-two, there is no teaching or suggestion of employing a flexible tray which directly collides with cookies received from a conveyor belt, the conveyor belt and tray moving relatively to one another so that cookies are stacked without colliding directly with one another. This patent appears to have a different result than the present invention in that stacked cookies are wrapped in a flexible wrapper, rather than being received in a flexible tray. Also, conveyor belts movably positionable, pivotable, or extendable are not shown or suggested in this patent.
The Wagner et al patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,855, shows an accumulator in FIGS. 1 and 2 for selectively accumulating and releasing cookies. Also, in FIG. 1, stacks V are shown; however, it appears from FIG. 3 that each layer of the stack rests upon shelves S. An elevator carriage mechanism is used, together with the relatively complex control system schematically shown in FIG. 19. This patent is far from the teachings of the present invention, wherein trays are directly loaded by a moving conveyor, which moves relatively to the flexible tray which receives cookies in stacked alignment. Furthermore, although an accumulator is shown, it does not operate in a manner similar to the accumulator means of the present invention. Also, movably positionable, extendable, or pivotable conveyor belts are not shown or suggested in this patent.
The Eisenberg patent is notable for FIGS. 5A and 5B where articles are stacked in relatively short stacks. FIG. 5C shows a chute 36 which permits a sliding article to slide directly over another article; however, there is no teaching of the article sliding along the chute 36 and colliding with a flexible wall, nor is there any teaching that the chute 36 moves upward relatively to such stack as in the present invention. The Bertling et al patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,209, shows a relatively complex stacking system which is very different from the present invention, and does not show a flexible tray with which moving cookies collide, nor does it show a conveyor means which moves relatively to the previously stacked cookies and the flexible tray.